NEW YORK — The old boxing axiom that states there are no timeouts in this unforgiving game typically applies to fighters themselves.
Gervonta Davis definitely broke boxing’s rules early in the ninth round of his WBA lightweight title bout Saturday night, when he turned away from Lamont Roach, took a knee, stuck his head between the ropes and allowed co-trainer Calvin Ford to wipe an obstructive substance from his eyes that never should’ve been applied to his hair in the days before a fight. Referee Steve Willis, as the boxing world well knows by now, should’ve taken a point from Davis, who would’ve lost a split decision to Roach had that happened.
It should serve as an invaluable lesson for Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), who grew entirely too accustomed with doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants, despite the best efforts of professional adults who’ve worked tirelessly to get him to behave like the superstar his previous victories made him.
This is professional prizefighting at the elite level. It is his responsibility to know what’s allowed and, more importantly, what conduct violates the rules of the sport.
Overly concerning yourself with anything other than the dangerous task at hand — putting product in your hair, choreographed, elaborate entrances to the ring, whatever it might be — can become more problematic than those distractions are worth. Just ask Paulie Malignaggi, whose cutman Danny Milano transformed himself into an amateur barber between rounds of the former junior welterweight and welterweight champion’s 12-round, split decision victory over Lovemore N’dou in May 2008.
Milano’s mastery in his corner enabled Malignaggi to see N’dou and edge the South African contender on the cards in their 12-round fight for Malignaggi’s IBF junior welterweight title in Manchester, England.
Davis’ corner assisted him, too. The difference, regrettably for everyone involved, is that Ford’s illegal assistance should’ve gotten Davis disqualified in accordance with New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) guidelines.
Baltimore’s Davis did what he did because, again, he became comfortable operating however he wanted, whenever he wanted, without anyone telling him no. Davis did accept blame post-fight for not knowing that his actions weren’t within the rules and for losing track of the rounds, his rationale for not picking up the pace after predictably giving away rounds early in their pay-per-view main event.
Still, the first half of the ninth round will be forever embedded in the minds of those perplexed by how it was allowed to unfold as it did. Enter Willis, a part-time standup comedian who, rather comically, seemed more concerned with the optics of Davis disrespecting the rules of his sport than penalizing him for it.
That said, referees make mistakes in real time, particularly in pressurized environments, under bright lights. No one is suggesting anything nefarious happened between Willis and Davis.
Perhaps a disqualification might’ve seemed unnecessary to a veteran referee who was in the process of officiating a completely competitive championship fight.
It is, however, the undeniable duty of the NYSAC, which assigned Willis to officiate this 12-round, 135-pound title fight, to help correct egregious errors committed by its referees. Its executive director, Matt Delaglio, was seated ringside for this Premier Boxing Champions card.
Delaglio should’ve been bothered by this preposterous occurrence, just like the rest of us. It is well within his right as head of the NYSAC to initiate an instant replay review following a round.
To my earlier point, while there definitely are no timeouts in boxing for the fighters themselves, there are, without a doubt, timeouts available to public employees who are responsible for maintaining the integrity of an event.
Delaglio should’ve instructed the replay official assigned to sit near a television monitor and ordered a review of Davis’ behavior before the 10th round began. Had Delaglio exercised that right, Davis obviously would’ve lost a point and a split decision in a fight where the unbeaten WBA lightweight champion was an overwhelming 16-1 favorite to win.
Instead, Roach was saddled with another draw on his record (25-1-2, 10 KOs) and the frustration of wondering what could have been — or what should have been, frankly — for the rest of his life.
The blame for the official outcome doesn’t lie squarely with Delaglio, though.
Roach’s handlers should’ve questioned the commission as soon as the ninth round ended, if for no other reason than to inform Delaglio that they knew the replay mechanism was at their disposal and should’ve been used because it could’ve factored into the outcome. And, wow, did it ever.
Had Delaglio or ProBox’s Garry Jonas, Roach’s promotional representative, done their jobs, Roach would have more leverage in future negotiations than this dubious draw affords him. A victory over Davis would be much more valuable in such tricky talks than a draw.
Because Davis wasn’t punished for his blatant infractions, Davis and Roach drew on the cards of judges Glenn Feldman and Steve Weisfeld, both of whom scored their bout even, 114-114 apiece. Judge Eric Marlinski scored Davis a 115-113 winner.
Regardless, this is a teachable moment for promoters as much as officials and commissioners, especially those on the “B” side in high-profile fights like Davis vs. Roach. If you’re seated in the corral — the area between the ring and the first row of fans — make your presence known, even if merely in the most professional, tactful way.
If you’re there to protect the interests of your fighter, then actually do that. Roach told Uncrowned that he is a promotional free agent, but that he has a business partnership with Jonas, who also owns BoxingScene.com, an outlet that employed this writer on a part-time basis and then full-time from 2006 until last year, when Jonas purchased it from Paramount Global in February 2024.
Roach won his prior fight on a card Jonas’ company promoted. The Maryland resident defeated Ireland’s Feargal McCrory by eighth-round technical knockout June 28 in Washington, D.C., where Roach was born.
Fortunately for Roach, Davis almost certainly will exercise his immediate rematch clause, which was placed in their contracts by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions in the event Davis lost or fought Roach to a draw. Settling for a draw, when he should’ve won, nevertheless cost Roach millions of dollars, because becoming the first fighter to defeat “Tank” is completely different than adding a draw to Davis’ previously perfect record.
Roach performed exactly how he and his father/trainer, Lamont Roach Sr., predicted he would.
The WBA super featherweight champion took Davis’ vaunted power well throughout their bout. And, perhaps most importantly, he never displayed the type of fear or uncertainty many of the Davis’ prior opponents allowed “Tank” to use as psychological advantages on his way to producing almost all knockouts.
Roach resolutely rejected the idea from Davis, as well as his strongest supporters and his harshest critics, that Roach was in over his head. It wasn’t just that he is technically taller than Davis, more that he knew Davis better than anyone else Davis had fought.
They were rivals as kids. Roach lost both of their amateur matches on points in 2011 and they sparred many times before Davis turned pro in 2013, the year Roach won a national Golden Gloves title, and Roach made his pro debut in 2014.
The 29-year-old Roach’s skill, chin, confidence and grit served him extremely well when it mattered most in the biggest fight of his career.
Win or draw, he would’ve been obligated to grant Davis a rematch. A second showdown sometime this summer at an outdoor stadium somewhere in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., or elsewhere in the DMV area will draw a huge crowd and do big business.
It’s not the lightweight title fight fans and pundits hoped Davis would take next. This isn’t just about Davis receiving an opportunity, though, to prove he is better than he was Saturday night — something he promised post-fight that he would show after getting back in the gym soon to work on himself.
This is also the respectful Roach’s chance to run it back in front of fans who will want to see their second fight much more than their initial meeting.
Wherever they fight again, we can only hope that if there is a need to take a second look at an odd occurrence — as glaring as what transpired Saturday night or otherwise — that replay reviews made readily available won’t be ignored. There are millions of reasons why.
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